Advanced Magick

Spring Equinox Ostara Lore Ostara Ostara Blessings Ostara Ritual Summer Solstice Litha Blessings Summer Solstice Rite Autumn Equinox Mabon Lore Mabon Mabon Rite Winter Solstice Yule Blessings Yule Rite

Preparations: GREEN altar Decorate Altar with spring wild flowers and grass Colors: lavender, blue, yellow, green, violet, rose Herbs: sunflower seeds thyme honeysuckle lavender rosehips Magickal Stones for Spring Clear quartz crystal Lapiz Lazuli Garnet Agate Rose Quartz

One tradition is to go to a field and randomly collect wildflowers. Then bring them home and divine their magickal meanings by the use of books, your own intuition, a pendulum or by other means. The flowers you�ve chosen reveal your inner thoughts and emotions.

It is important at this time of renewed life to plan a walk through gardens, a park, woodlands, forest and other green places. Other traditional activities include planting seeds, working on magickal gardens and practicing all forms of herb work - magickal, medicinal, culinary and artistic.

Foods for this day include those made of seeds, such as sunflower, pumpkin and sesame seeds. Sprouts are equally appropriate, as are leafy, green vegetables.

Flowers should be laid on the altar, placed around the circle and strewn on the ground. The cauldron can be filled with spring water and flowers, and buds and blossoms may be worn as well. Arrange the altar, light the candles and incense, and cast the Circle. Say:

"Great goddess, you have freed yourself
From the icy prison of winter.
Now is the greening, when the fragrance of
Flowers drifts on the breeze.
This is the beginning. Life renews itself
By Your magic, Earth Goddess.
The God stretches and rises,
Tiger in His youth, and bursting with
The promise of summer."

"I walk the earth in friendship, not in dominance.
Mother Goddess and Father god, instil within me
Thorough this plant a warmth for all living things.
Teach me to revere the Earth and all its treasures.
May I never forget."

Meditate upon the changing of the seasons. Feel the energies around you in the Earth. Continue with the Ostara Ritual and celebrate Cakes And Ale.

"We kindle this fire today,
In the presence of the Holy Ones,
Without malice, without jealousy, without envy,
Without fear of aught beneath the Sun
But the High Gods.
Thee we invoke, O Light of Life;
Be thou a bright flame before us,
Be thou a guiding star above us,
Be thou a smooth path beneath us.
Kindle thou within our hearts
A flame of love for our neighbors,
To our foes, to our friends, to our kindred all,
To all men on earth;
O merciful Son of Cerridwen
From the lowliest thing that liveth,
To the name which is highest of all."

Construct a Green Man and a Flower Bride any way that your creativity desires. For the offerings to the god, pour a packet of seeds into a piece of green lace and tie with a green ribbon. Use a decorated red egg for the Goddess. Decorate the altar with flowers, ivy, feathers, crystals, and colored eggs. Set the Green Man on the right side of the Altar and Flower Bride on the left side. Cast the circle and invoke the elements. Perform the ritual outside.

Priestess: "We invoke thee, Spirit of Spring.
You who are the scent of freshly turned soil,
You who are the first flowers of the season,
We bid you, enter our lives.
You who are new beginnings,
You who embody youth, vitality, and innocence,
Be with us in this circle tonight!"

Priest: Kneels before the Green Man.
"Lord of the Green and Laughing God,
We bid you, come to our circle tonight.
Be with us, Lord of the Dance,
Oak King, be in our hearts and fill us
With the vitality of youth, with the strength of new growth.
Even as sap rises hundreds of feet through
The veins of your trees, so also let rise our joys
And enthusiasm and spirits.
Welcome to our rites, and
Blessed Be."

ALL: "Green Man, Spring Man,
Clothed in moss and mist.
Come await your Flowered Bride,
With your gentle kiss."

Priestess: Kneel before the Flower Bride.
"Blodeuwedd, Flower Bride, Lady of Spring,
We bid you come to our circle tonight.
Be with us Faerie Maid and Queen of the Garden.
Be in our Hearts and fill us with
The fertility of Spring, with the strength of new growth.
Even as the world rejoices in your awakening,
Also let us rejoice and celebrate our duties
As your Maidens.
We raise our voices in your praise.
Welcome to our rites, and
Blessed Be."

ALL: "Come Lady Come,
To the Green Man's side,
Most Beautiful of all Flower Brides!"

Priest: Holds up the bowl of Seeds.
"Bless now the seed of the God,
That it might take hold and root
And grow in the Lady's soil."

Place the seeds at the foot of the Green Man.

Priestess: Holds up the Sacred Egg.
"Bless now the sacred egg of the Lady,
That she might conceive and bear fruit,
In the coming season."

Place the egg at the foot of the Bride.

The Priestess and Priest stand in the centre of the circle. The Priest holds the seeds and the Priestess holds the egg. They place the items together in the crystal dish. They kiss and set the dish between the Green Man and Flower Bride.

ALL: "Seed and Egg, Seed and Egg,
Grow strong now as life is made.
Ivy, rose, and grape vine,
Blossom into sweet wine."

Priest:"So the Seed is planted and life grows anew,
In the womb of the Goddess."

Priestess: "So we plant our own seeds this season,
Nurturing the tender sprouts that they may
Grow strong and healthy for the harvest."

Priest: Kneels before the Green Man.
"Oak King, Lord of the Green,
Be in our hearts and in our hands this coming season.
Go if you must, Stay if you will,
Hail, farewell and Blessed Be."

ALL: "Blessed Be."

Priestess: Kneels before the Flower Bride.
"Flower Bride, Queen of the Garden,
Be in our hearts and our hands this coming season.
Go if you must, stay if you will,
Hail, farewell and Blessed Be."

ALL: "Blessed Be."

Banish the elements and open the circle. Follow with a potluck. After the ritual, the seeds and egg are to be planted. The Green Man and the Flower Bride are to be kept somewhere sacred and dry until Midsummer when they are thrown onto the Litha bonfire.

Summer Solstice--Litha
June 20-23

The Sun at Midsummer reaches that moment in his journey across the sky when his power peaks and in one magickal instant begins to wane. Flowers are essential to the Litha Rite; flowers that are yellow, scarlet, white, pink and violet. Use red, black, and white candles to represent the Triple Goddess.

Magickal Herbs Sage Rosemary Thyme Hyssop Sunflower Heather Lavender Feverfew St. John's Wort Magickal Stones Ruby Garnet Cat's Eye Clear Quartz Crystal Citrine

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To be said at sunrise on the Summer Solstice.
When June is ripe, and the days are full,
And sun comes early to claim his throne,
Walk before dawn to a silent height,
And set three stones in an eastward line,
Stand behind them, while his light is rising
Over the distant land.
When he is there, in the Eastern Air,
Offer these words:

"Sun of the Year,
I move this Earth,
To greet thy sign,
And set myself,
To honor thee
In the Earth's design."

Perfect the stones to mark his face,
Follow their shadow,
Twelve short paces,
Pluck some leaf, for an amulet.

The Lord and Lady are once again reunited. The dolls representing the Green Man and the Flower Bride from Ostara, are brought out and placed on the altar. The circle is cast, the invocations said, and the Priest and Priestess light the bonfire.

Priest: "Great one of Heaven, Power of the Sun, We invoke thee in thine ancient names-- Lugh, Arthur, Balin, Herne; Come again as of old into this thy land. Lift up thy shining spear of light to protect us. Put to flight the powers of darkness. Give us fair woodlands and green fields, Blossoming orchards and ripening corn. Bring us to stand upon thy hill of vision, And show us the lovely realms of the Gods."

Priestess:"The Spear to the Cauldron,
The lance to the Grail, Spirit to Flesh,
Man to woman, Sun to Earth,
Dance ye about the Cauldron of Cerridwen,
The Goddess, and be ye blessed with
The touch of this consecrated water;
Even as the sun, The Lord of Life,
Ariseth in his strength in the sign
Of the waters of life."

The Priest and Priestess anoint the dolls with lavender oil and toss them into the bonfire. Close with the following and then open the circle.

"The fire of Summer comes to this magick space.
The sparkle of light from these magick candles
Shall bring to this magick garden all the power
The Goddess can give to Earth. So mote it be."
"O Great Goddesses,
Come abide with me,
I am your daughter and keeper of your faith
In this sunlight time, bring to me your love
And help me to tend to myself,
To help heal the Earth, and enjoy your great beauty."

Decorate the Autumn altar in fall colors: rich reds, oranges, yellow, and brown. Use fallen leaves and autumn flowers, pine cones, acorns.

Magickal Herbs Rosemary Marigold Sage Passionflower Frankincense Chamomile Sunflower seeds Magickal Stones Clear Quartz Amber Citrine Cat's Eye Adventurine

A traditional practice is to walk in wild places such as a forest, grove, field, gathering seed pods and dried plants.

The foods of Mabon consist of the second harvest�s gleanings so grains, corn, fruit and vegetables are predominate. Corn bread is a traditional fare, as are beans and baked squash.

Decorate the altar with acorns, oak sprigs, pine and cypress cones, ears of corn, wheat stalks, other fruits, nuts and a small basket filled with dried leaves of various colours and kinds.

Arrange the altar, light the candles and censer, and cast the Circle of Stones. Invoke the Goddess and God. Stand before the altar, holding aloft the basket of leaves, and slowly scatter them so that they cascade to the ground within the circle. Say:

"Leaves fall,
The days grow cold.
The Goddess pulls her mantle of Earth around Her
As You, O Great Sun God, sail toward the West
To the land of eternal enchantment,
Wrapped in the coolness of night.
Fruits ripen, seeds drip,
The hours of day and night are balanced.
Chill winds blow in from the North wailing laments.
In this seeming extinction of nature�s power,
O Blessed Goddess, I know that life continues.
For spring is impossible without the second harvest,
As surely as life is impossible without death.
Blessings upon you, O Fallen God, as you journey into
The lands of winter and into the
Goddess� loving arms."

Place the basket down and say:
"O Gracious Goddess of fertility,
I have sown and reaped the fruits
Of my actions, good and bane.
Grant me the courage to plant seeds
Of joy and love in the coming year,
Banishing misery and hate.
Teach me the secrets of wise existence upon the planet.
O luminous one of the night!"

Cast the circle and call the Gods.

Priest: "Farewell, O Sun, ever-returning light,
The hidden God, who ever yet remains,
Who now departs to the land of Youth
Through the Gates of Death to dwell enthroned.
The Judge of Gods and man.
The Horned Leader of the hosts of Air-
Yet, even as he stands unseen about the circle,
So dwelleth he within the secret seed."

Priestess: "The seed of newly ripened grainm the seed of flesh;
Hidden in earth, the marvellous seed of the stars.
In him is Life, and life is the Light of man,
That which was never born and never dies.
Therefore the wise weep not--but rejoice!"

Priest: "Let us prepare for the coming of the new year. Samhain is upon us and now is the time to right wrongs and clear the path for the sun's return. The wheel of life is ever-turning, Blessed be!"

Priestess: "Although the season of plenty
Draws to a close, the Gods are ever with us.
The Lord and Lady watch over us.
We give thanks to the Gods for this joyful harvest!"

The Winter Solstice is a time for the Snow Queen and the Yule King to reunite. The altar cloth is white. Trim the altar in glossy green leaves, like ivy and holly. Decorate with silver crystals, black and white candles, Evergreen boughs, chalice of spring water, Two yule logs (one from the year before and one for the coming year).

Magickal Herbs Holly Mistletoe Myrrh Frankincense Cinnamon Nutmeg Magickal Stones Clear Quartz Alexandrite Green tourmaline Garnet Citrine Jet

Yule logs are the Celtic bonfires of old driven indoors by the cold weather. Burn a yule log, charging another in the Magick circle and keeping it in a sacred space for the next year. The Celts also hung small glass bowls with candles inside on their yule trees. These are called Faerie Lights. They please the Faeries and attract them.

"Queen of the Moon, Queen of the Sun,
Queen of the Heavens, Queen of the Stars,
Queen of the Waters, Queen of the Earth,
Bring to us the child of promise!
It is the Great Mother who giveth birth to him,
It is the Lord of Life who is born again.
Darkness and tears are set aside,
When the sun shall come up early.
Golden sun of the mountains,
Illuminate the land, light up the world.
Illuminate the seas and the rivers,
Sorrows be laid--joy to the world!
Blessed be the Great Goddess,
Without beginning, without end,
Everlasting to eternity,
Blessed Be! Blessed Be! Blessed Be!"

Priest: "Welcome to Yule! The turning point
Of winter is upon us."

The coven members all join hands and circle, deosil, chanting:
"Turn, turn, turn the wheel.
Round and round, around it goes.
The flame that died, it now doth heal.
Round and round, around it goes.
Return, return, return to life!
Welcome sunlight; farewell strife.
Round and round, around it goes.
The Sun Lord Dies, the Sun Lord Lives.
Death opens hands and new life gives.
Round and round, around it goes.
Turn, turn, turn the wheel.
The flame that died, it now doth heal."

Priestess: "Let us kindle fresh fire to light our Lord Upon his way." ALL: "Fire for strength! Fire for life! Fire for love!

The Priestess lights a taper candle from the altar candle and it's flame is passed around the circle so all candles are lit. The coveners keep circle with the candles and when reaching the cauldron (or bonfire), toss the candles in to light the fire for the Lord of Darkness and Light.

Priest: "May all our power, Witches all, strengthen
The new born Lord.
Life! Love! Strength! I am the Sun Lord!"

Close the circle and follow with celebrations.